Idaho Botanical Garden – About

In 1984, The Idaho Botanical Garden was established on a 32-acre site of old prison grounds leased from the Idaho State Historical Society and the State of Idaho. Local botanist, Dr. Christopher Davidson, assembled the first board of directors comprised of 17 civic leaders and professionals. The Garden founders and board built an irrigation system, nature trails, and planted two acres, including the Meditation, Rose and Herb Gardens.

Since then, the Garden has gradually expanded to become the awe-inspiring destination it is today.

The Idaho Botanical Garden acknowledges the harm and injustice committed against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities including colonization, slavery, segregation, denial of proper resources, mass incarceration, police brutality, and economic and voter suppression--systems that have been perpetuated for hundreds of years.
We wish to honor Indigenous communities native to this region including the Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock tribes. We express gratitude and appreciation to the traditional stewards of the land and to those who have been living and working in this valley from time immemorial.

We must continue to strategize and support one another, both within our organization and our greater community, to make space for diverse voices to express themselves fully and to cultivate a culture that embodies the means of a collective. We stand firm in our ability to name and eliminate racist behavior and to provide proper training to our Board and Staff in an effort to uphold this commitment.

We will continue to ask hard questions, share our stories, and think critically to ensure the longevity of the movement toward equity and inclusion. We strive to create an environment where welcoming, wellness, safety, and success are possible for all who visit this space and to carry these efforts beyond our garden walls.

We commit to being a force for positive, actionable change and to protect and co-exist within nature knowing the role we play will have a long-lasting impact on future generations.

We work to lower our carbon footprint through sustainability efforts at all events. We provide many onsite bike racks and strongly encourage ride-sharing and biking to the garden. We are currently boosting our recycling programs and collaborating with vendors to offer eco-friendly solutions for food and drink, waste management, and more plant-based menu options. Potable water is available at the garden most months of the year. Bring a reusable bottle and fill it up at any event!

In the garden, we are continuously seeking sustainable ways to approach gardening, including water-wise crops, low flow irrigation techniques, and limited use of harsh chemicals.

We are committed to replacing our energy usage from electric to solar, wind, and hydroelectric. Our building materials will be healthy, highly efficient, and low impact. As we replace our tools, inventory, and other assets we are committed to continuously shifting our ways to live in harmony with the natural world.